In truth, as soon as Yu Sheng learned of the existence of the perilous and widespread phenomenon known as the "other realm" in this world, and that this massive "boundary city" was a unique place referred to as the "crossroads," he realized there had to be people who specialized in dealing with such matters.
Not the lone fighters or rogues—though they certainly existed—but organized, even professional, groups.
There were official organizations and possibly unofficial ones as well.
However, as Ailin pointed out, these specialists typically did not interact with ordinary folks.
The other realms lie beyond common sense and reason, hidden like countless small, dangerous holes in the seemingly stable mountain of reality.
An ordinary person might go their entire life unaware of the sights lurking within those holes, but the unfortunate few who accidentally glimpse the flickering light escaping from them would find it impossible to turn back.
This was the "knowledge" Ailin had shared with him from the very start.
From her descriptions, Yu Sheng could conclude that these specialists would do everything they could to keep ordinary people away from anything related to the other realms, including hiding their own existence.
But if something did happen, they should have their own response mechanisms, right...
Yu Sheng looked up again to the desolate street outside the window.
"Honestly, how long do these 'professionals' usually take to react?" he asked, anxious.
"I don't know, it's hard to remember... but I think it's pretty quick," Ailin replied, hugging a teddy bear and rocking on her chair, looking slightly annoying.
"They have a ton of means to sense abnormal situations, and the whole crossroads is probably under their surveillance. They were when I was sealed, and they must be even better now."
Yu Sheng remained silent, staring at the figurine in the painting.
"Well, of course, these professionals are human, and humans can have their moments of incompetence. They might sometimes react slowly?" Ailin suddenly seemed insecure.
"Maybe they just haven’t noticed the unusual situation on your side... even though there’s been quite a ruckus here..."
"That sounds unreliable," Yu Sheng furrowed his brow before sighing.
"By your logic, this entire building is an 'other realm,' yet no one has come knocking on my door. I seriously doubt the professionalism of the 'professionals' you speak of... Sigh, in the end, it seems I'll have to rely on myself."
Ailin blinked her eyes.
"Y-you're right?"
Then she suddenly became curious.
"So, what do you plan to do? From what you're saying... you still intend to interact with that valley and the entity within it, huh?"
"It's not that I want to interact with it; it's that it will come looking for me again sooner or later. I have that feeling," Yu Sheng said, curling his lips into a slight smile as he recalled the bizarre freezing rain and the frogs caught within it.
"And you said it yourself, right? Once you’ve interacted with the other realms, there's no turning back—I’ve probably been in contact with the 'other realm' longer than you’d think."
"Well… okay, I’ll admit, many of those who deal with the other realms were just ordinary unlucky people at first," Ailin mumbled.
"I remember that about ten percent of ordinary folks who had dealings with the other realm ended up becoming 'other realm' experts, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, as they got stuck with some dirty stuff..."
Hearing this, Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"Only ten percent? What happened to the remaining ninety percent? Did they return to normal lives?"
Ailin tilted her head back.
"They died."
Yu Sheng: "..."
"Well… there are survivors too! Every year, a good number of people are saved," Ailin noticed Yu Sheng's expression and hurriedly explained, adding, "Of course, it does seem like more people die."
"…Ailin."
Yu Sheng focused on the figurine in the painting.
"Hey, hey?"
"If you can't say anything, just don’t."
"Y-yes?"
Yu Sheng sighed and stood up slowly from the dining table.
"Whether people live or die doesn't really affect me, but I truly need to find a way to gather more information about the other realms. If those 'professionals' can't come here, then I have to look for them myself," he said, pondering aloud.
"After all, your memories and experiences are a bit dubious."
"Look for them yourself?" Ailin seemed unfazed by Yu Sheng’s second remark and continued cheerfully, "Then… why don’t you check the nearby power poles for any ads from security companies specializing in other realms?"
Yu Sheng could only shake his head helplessly.
"I’m serious."
"I'm serious too," Ailin blinked.
"They might actually leave those kinds of contact information for ordinary people like you who have gone through an encounter and somehow made it back. It's just that regular folks usually can't see them since they’ve been hidden with 'technical means.' But you'll notice them differently if you've had contact with the other realms—more or less experiencing some form of ‘spiritual awakening.’"
At this point, Ailin suddenly paused and observed Yu Sheng with a serious expression.
"Don’t you feel any... changes happening to you?"
Changes after encountering the other realms?!
Upon hearing the figurine’s remark, Yu Sheng was taken aback and hurriedly spoke, "Are you saying the changes include becoming strong enough to crush stones, gaining back health after a cut, being able to sense the memories and thoughts of others, and maybe even being capable of resurrection..."
Ailin stared at him in disbelief as if he were an alien.
"What?"
"…Not true?"
"You'd be lucky to see a few things you normally can’t! Those other things you mentioned? Are you even still human? It sounds like you've changed species altogether. You shouldn't read so many novels and watch so many animations."
Yu Sheng: "…" Noticing Ailin's reaction, he wisely decided not to delve into that topic any further.
His situation was indeed irregular, even in the realm of the "supernatural," it felt overly unnatural.
Luckily, Ailin didn't seem to think too hard about it—maybe it really was due to being sealed for so long that her mind wasn’t too sharp.
Taking a breath, Yu Sheng looked toward the kitchen.
A hint of entangled hesitation flickered across his face, and then he forced a smile before stepping towards the kitchen.
Ailin leapt off the chair, "Hey, are you going to make breakfast?"
Yu Sheng wondered why this being, who couldn't eat, got so excited at mealtimes.
"I'm just going to handle the 'local specialty' I brought back."
Without looking back, he said.
Ailin clutched her teddy bear in one hand and waved the other, "Oh, go ahead..."
Suddenly, she stopped.
Her mind, dulled from being sealed for too long, finally grasped a critical point.
...
What local specialty could possibly exist from the other realm?!
"Wait!" Ailin screamed, her voice nearly startling Yu Sheng, who had reached the kitchen door.
"What exactly is this 'local specialty' of yours?!"
Yu Sheng walked into the kitchen, halted, looked back, and smiled faintly.
"Guess?"
Ailin's eyes widened, watching him tie on an apron.
Horror and disbelief began to spread across her bright red eyes, "Wait, wait, what are you planning to do? You can't be thinking... No way, did you actually get that from the entity?! How did an ordinary person like you manage that?! No, you can't seriously be..."
Yu Sheng decisively shut the kitchen door, blocking out Ailin's frantic inquiries.
Moments later, faint yelling came from the dining room, "Hey, don’t close the door! At least help me restart the TV! I can't get it to work!"
But Yu Sheng no longer paid her any mind.
He approached the sink, lifted the lid from the pot resting on the slab of "meat," and found the severed tail in the water completely quiet now, though the torn flesh occasionally twitched slightly.
He stared silently at the tail that once burrowed into his body, feeling a surging... "appetite" rising from within.
But this time, the appetite was no longer as intense as before; it merely fluttered slightly with pleasing anticipation and just the right amount of restlessness.
Could this really be okay? Was this normal? Was he still normal?
Yu Sheng went through these questions in his mind, yet his hands moved without hesitation.
Preparing the ginger, scallions, and cooking wine, he retrieved a chopping board and knife, meticulously washing the severed tail and scraping off its scales, before laying it on the board and slicing into it.
It cut even easier than he expected—though it had felt stone-like when still attached to that monster, now the knife slid through as if it were firm beef.
Moreover, there weren’t any bones inside.
Yu Sheng recalled his first realization of physical "enhancement" came from biting into that creature.
Then, during their second confrontation, he had similarly tasted its blood and flesh, feeling a further uptick in his strength afterward—though the increase was noticeably smaller, there was indeed a change.
This led him to brew a bold and... delicious thought.
What would happen if he cooked it?
Yu Sheng worked nimbly, chopping the meat, and his mood gradually brightened.
The ruckus from Ailin outside had quieted down a bit.
He didn’t know if what he was doing was right... it probably wasn’t really appropriate, considering even a figurine sealed in a painting found it all very bizarre.
But compared to coming back to life, a piece of suspicious meat wasn't a big deal at all.
"I’ve eaten raw before," Yu Sheng murmured to himself as he sliced the meat, "first encounter, second familiarity..."
(End of Chapter)